Entering his second season at the helm, Texas A&M coach Bucky McMillan has rebranded the Aggie basketball program as one of the premier destinations for future NBA players to develop and play on one of the fastest-paced offenses in the SEC, centered around efficiency near the rim and three-point shooting.
After leading the Aggies to the NCAA Tournament during his inaugural campaign, McMillan and his veteran staff went to work in the transfer portal, needing to replace nearly every starter and several reserves, including senior forward Rashaun Agee, who led the team in scoring and rebounds during his one and only season in College Station.
However, after losing Indiana transfer forward Mackenzie Mgbako after just seven games in non-conference play, the former five-star announced his return to the roster this offseason, combined with key reserve forward Zach Clemence, who broke out at the end of the regular season.
Needing a go-to scoring option, Texas A&M landed one of the top transfer portal players in the country after Kansas State guard PJ Haggerty chose the Aggies over a long list of blue-blood suitors, followed by landing five more transfer additions, including NBA G-League guard Bryson Warren and former Loyola Marymount forward Jalent Shelley, who, like Haggerty, are both expected to start this fall.
This is by far the most talented roster McMillan has assembled in his career, and possibly the best group of players in Texas A&M history, strictly from a talent standpoint. Nationally, the Aggies have gained some respect and have at least earned a mention from ESPN, which released its latest preseason top 25 basketball rankings.
Coming in as the fifth team among the “Next five” programs alongside Saint Louis, Indiana, UCLA, and BYU that deserve preseason recognition, and could be included in the final preseason Top 25 later this year.
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This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Texas A&M makes ‘Next five’ in ESPN’s preseason Top 25 rankings
Reporting by Cameron Ohnysty, Aggies Wire / Aggies Wire
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